Legends Academy – New future for tomorrow’s leaders

A NEW FUTURE FOR TOMORROW’S LEADERS

Orlando Commissioner Bakari Burns, Mayor Buddy Dyer, Commissioner Regina Hill, r. Porter-Smith and others break ground on the new facility.

LEGENDS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL BREAKS GROUND ON $15 MILLION INVESTMENT AND RECEIVES NATIONAL IMPACT GRANT AWARD.

The trend of education excellence continues to flourish in Central Florida with the $15 million investment for campus expansion at the Legends Academy, a K-8 grade Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM-focused Charter school located on the Hope Center Campus in the Washington Shores community of Orlando.

Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Porter-Smith is at the helm of the Orlando public-school charter organization that includes both the Legends Academy and Nap Ford Community School. The organization celebrated its 20-year legacy in 2021 and has served more than 1,000 families.

Dr. Porter-Smith is a trailblazer who advocates for children living in underinvested neighborhoods in the urban core. Relentless in endeavor, she credits her efforts to a belief that education is a gateway toward enriched citizenship, stronger families, and empowered communities.

“I am humbled by the rich history of those that created academic institutions in our state designed to address the unique needs of our community,” Porter-Smith stated in a Black Excellence in Charter Schools profile published by Building Hope, a District of Columbia-based non-profit that supports charter school infrastructure.

“I stand on the shoulders of our educational legends such as Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of Bethune-Cookman

University and Thomas DeSaille Tucker, Florida A&M University's first president. Their timeless stories have given me the inspiration and vigor to seek and provide a culturally affirming space of excellence for our youngest scholars to thrive and gain an appreciation for the sacrifices made on their behalf.”

Dr. Porter-Smith grew up in St. Petersburg and is a neuroscientist who holds a Ph.D. in physiological psychology from the University of Florida. Affectionately referred to by students and staff as “Dr. J.”, she currently leads 1600 young scholars, 400 of which attend Legends Academy and are called, “Tomorrow’s Leaders.”

Charter schools are tuition-free public schools created through an agreement or "charter" typically between the school and the local district school board. This agreement gives the charter school a measure of expanded freedom relative to traditional public schools in return for a commitment to higher standards of accountability.

The 74 - America’s Education News Source, published the following Jan. 2022: “Controlling the Narrative: Parental Choice, Black Empowerment & Lessons from Florida” — a joint effort among Black Minds Matter, the American Federation for Children and Step Up for Students—analyzes the great migration of Black families to choice schools, the positive academic trend lines for Black students participating in school choice programs and the growth of Black-owned schools in Florida. We found that the Sunshine State now has more than 100,000 Black students enrolled in charter and private schools. This number is striking. That’s more Black students enrolled in choice schools in Florida than total Black students—period—in 30 states, including Arkansas, Minnesota, and Massachusetts.”

Further, the Florida Dept. of Education’s 2019 Fact-sheet report stated that Black students in charter schools outperformed those in district schools in 31 of 38 categories, including proficiency, achievement gaps and learning gains.

Porter-Smith is on the positive pulse of these statistics and construction began May 2022 on the vision to provide space for more growth. Scholars are scheduled to transition from current classroom portables into a cutting-edge, educational facility before the start of the 2023 school year. The school has a stellar reputation as a public Charter School of Choice for Orlando’s Urban Neighborhood and the academy expects the new facility will accommodate growth from 400 students to 565.

Building Hope awarded The Legends academy a national, $10,000 IMPACT Awards grant in June. Upon receiving the grant, Dr. Porter-Smith said,

“Thank you, Building Hope and the selection committee. At Legends Academy, we recognize that human beings were fashioned and purposed to form relationships and community. We have been strategic, purposeful, and thoughtful about creating a school community that dispels myths about what black and brown students can accomplish – one where they see themselves as intellectual human beings and feel nurtured and safe.”

For further information and to make a donation toward this new vision, visit https://legendsacademy.org or contact Dr. Porter-Smith at jportersmith@napford.org.

Dr. Jennifer Porter-Smith

Penny Dickerson contributed to this story.